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- In front of a Providence Mountains backdrop, I can see one of the toilet buildings at Mid Hills campground in the distance
- The luminosity of sunset starts to set in on the Mid Hills, with Eagle Rocks in the distance
- The northeast view from this vantage point provides an overview of Cedar Canyon that I haven't seen before
- I head southwest across the burned Mid Hills plateau back toward the campground, with Eagle Rocks in the distance
- Desert four o'clock flowers brighten up this brown landscape northeast of Mid Hills campground
- From almost 400 feet above Cedar Canyon Road, I have a nice view to the north across to Seep Canyon, which I just hiked down
- A burned joshua tree in the Mid Hills a couple hundred feet above the south side of Cedar Canyon Road
- I walk across Cedar Canyon Road, then Cedar Wash, then climb up the hill on a trail-less route back to Mid Hills campground
- A joshua tree sprouts in the heavily burned hills south of Cedar Canyon Road
- There's even a small pool of water here in Seep Canyon
- I near the bottom of Seep Canyon and the canyon widens a bit
- I stumble upon that abandoned alignment of the old Mojave Road again just before arriving at Cedar Canyon Road
- I continue the scenic descent down Seep Canyon
- I look back at another pile of rock that I just climbed down in Seep Canyon
- A patch of grasses grows in a muddy spot in Seep Canyon like the ones at "real," identified springs
- Some of the rocks need to be hopped over
- I notice a few moist spots here and there as I climb over the rocks in what I've decided to call Seep Canyon
- There's a lot of interesting rock in this canyon
- I figure I have about 1.5 miles of descent ahead of me in this little canyon
- I pass through a green area with low shrubbery
- I'm not sure what these red flowers are, but they look like something that hummingbirds would be happy with
- I reach the unnamed pass in the Mid Hills above Live Oak Spring and get a glimpse south across Round Valley to Table Mountain
- I've arrived at the top of the wash that I identified on my maps and start walking down toward Cedar Canyon
- Climbing up the hill above Live Oak Spring turns out to be not so difficult
- Gaining height in the Mid Hills, I look northeast toward the hills that host Cabin Springs
- On the way up the hill above Live Oak Spring, I turn back and get one of the better views of Cima Dome that I've had
- I pass some very interesting boulders above Live Oak Spring
- Still heading uphill, I'm almost at the top of the hill above Live Oak Spring
- I know I'm at Live Oak Spring when I come across a wilderness camera
- I look into the brush at which the wilderness camera points and discover a dribble of water on the ground
- OK, I've checked out Live Oak Spring; now I'm going to try walking over the hills toward Mid Hills campground
- After checking my maps, I realize that I'm not quite at Mojave National Preserve's Live Oak Spring
- I find myself in a narrow, shaded drainage
- I stumble across two campsites near the end of Live Oak Spring Road, Mojave National Preserve
- The road comes around a bend and heads southeast toward the Mid Hills and Live Oak Spring
- I walk a couple of miles up Live Oak Spring Road on a gentle uphill grade
- At Thomas Place, I take a break and relax by the fire ring for a moment
- I walk over to the old building here at Thomas Place
- A dugout at Thomas Place, Mojave National Preserve
- I take a peek inside the dugout at the old Thomas Place homestead
- Thomas Place, Mojave National Preserve
- I leave Thomas Place and walk straight ahead up the road toward Live Oak Spring, crossing Death Valley Mine Road on the way
- A bird flies past and lands in this cholla cactus
- Death Valley Mine Road, Mojave National Preserve (marked as Cima Road on some maps)
- I turn left into the old driveway leading down to Thomas Place, that abandoned building ahead
- I reach Cedar Wash, cross it, then climb up the other side and look back across Cedar Wash to the south
- When I reach Cedar Canyon Road, I stop to check my GPS for directions
- I cross Cedar Canyon Road, which I rode up last week, and start walking up the lesser Death Valley Mine Road to my right
- Before it joins Cedar Wash below, Eagle Rocks wash narrows and curves through an opening in the hill
- A tall, lone pinon pine grows in Eagle Rocks wash
- A BBQ grate hangs from that lone pinon pine in the wash
- Cedar Canyon Road is now visible: that horizontal line down below
- On my way down the wash, my nose keeps picking up a highly aromatic scent that isn't sagebrush
- A patch of fluffy pink seed heads greets me as I approach Eagle Rocks wash
- Some cactus, and a few other flowers, are still blooming in the relative shelter of this area
- The drainage "trail" will end just ahead at the base of the small mountain
- After a half-mile ride down to the kiosk to pay for one more night camping, I return to site 22 and lock the bike to a juniper
- At noon, I start walking down the hill behind Mid Hills campsite 22
- I follow a sometimes-shady drainage that leads northwest down the hill from my campsite
- While eating breakfast in the tent, I study my maps in preparation for today's hike over to Live Oak Spring
- Mid Hills campground to Macedonia Canyon and back bike ride (Day 7)
- Macedonia Canyon hike route (Day 7)
- Macedonia Canyon ride profile (Day 7)
- Macedonia Canyon hike profile, Mojave National Preserve (Day 7)
- I'm mesmerized by the tentacles of dark clouds swimming above while I look behind me during my ride up Wild Horse Canyon Road
- As I get closer to Mid Hills campground, the dark clouds weaken, but a few raindrops fall
- A tree grows in the wash in Macedonia Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- I ride back up through the invisible-until-you-get-to-it gate at the top of Macedonia Canyon Road
- A quick 270-degree turn of the bike and I'm on Wild Horse Canyon Road again and on my way back to Mid Hills campground
- On the way up Macedonia Canyon Road
- From the low point of today's travels at about 4000 feet, I walk back up Macedonia Canyon a half-mile or so to fetch my bicycle
- I've got 700 feet of elevation gain on Macedonia Canyon Road ahead of me and I'm sweating hard already!
- Macedonia Canyon Road is quite sandy, which is why I've never ventured down here on my previous Mojave National Preserve trips
- One of several debris piles near the cabin in Macedonia Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- I take one last look at the Macedonia Canyon cabin as I begin walking away down the wash
- Below the Macedonia Canyon cabin is an old rusty stove
- More junk near the Macedonia Canyon cabin!
- When I reach Macedonia Spring, I dont find any water at all
- Rhus trilobata bushes at Macedonia Spring instead of water
- A bit disappointed at having discovered only dryness at Macedonia Spring, I walk back down the drainage
- One of the bottom drawers of the stove is labelled "do not use"
- Labels on the stove inside the cabin in Macedonia Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- The other bottom drawer of the stove is full of packrat materials
- More 1970s' plastic antiques in the cabin in Macedonia Canyon
- This structure near the Macedonia Canyon cabin was apparently the outhouse
- Inside the cabin in Macedonia Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- An old broken soda-pop bottle, of a brand named Bubble-Up
- View of the east side of the cabin in Macedonia Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- Lots of debris surrounds the Macedonia Canyon cabin, including this old barbeque grill
- The Macedonia Canyon cabin has definitely seen better days
- According to my maps and GPS, an old road exists in the gulley just below
- And voilà, there it is, the Macedonia Canyon cabin
- Atop the little hill, I get a better look at the Macedonia Canyon cabin
- A final glance at the orange tailings pile near Columbia Mine, Macedonia Canyon
- White buckwheat flowers in Macedonia Canyon valley
- I reach the orange tailings pile at Columbia Mine and see a "danger" sign
- I don't know how deep this mine hole is at Columbia Mine, Macedonia Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- Approaching the Columbia Mine area, I pass a few abandoned metal tanks
- I ride up the track into Macedonia Canyon valley, but the hard-packed surface doesn't last, so I park the bike and start hiking
- Up on a hill in the Macedonia Canyon valley, I stop to check my maps and GPS
- I decide to head over to the remnants of the Columbia Mine, those small orangish mounds in the distance
- After a few miles, I turn at Macedonia Canyon Road and pass through the flimsy barbed-wire gate
- I begin the gradual descent down Macedonia Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
- I pull over along Macedonia Canyon Road to examine what's left of an old foundation
- Down at about 4125 feet, I turn up an old road that leads into the Macedonia Canyon valley
- A noise outside my tent proves to be a lizard scurrying about
- I keep delaying my departure to Macedonia Canyon due to the light rain that falls from time to time
- The fun ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road looks different today with the ominous clouds hovering above the Mid Hills
- Elevation profile of today's ride from Mid Hills campground to Howe Spring and back (Day 6)
- Bicycle route from Mid Hills campground to Howe Spring (Day 6)
- This recycling bin at Mid Hills campground takes on an incredible intense blue colour in its stark surroundings
- Back at Mid Hills campsite 22 after my ride to Howe Spring, I take a break before settling in and preparing supper
- This evening's clouds make for a colourful sunset at Mid Hills campground site 22 after the ride to Howe Spring
- The ride back up the Cedar Canyon-Black Canyon cutoff road is slow, but easier than expected
- After the cutoff road, I ride 1.5 miles up Black Canyon Road, then the final two hilly miles up to Mid Hills campground
- I stare at this unnamed mountain just south of Cedar Canyon Road while riding past it
- Cedar Canyon Road turns and heads briefly north toward Pinto Mountain before resuming its westward trek
- Cedar Canyon Road crosses a cattle guard and offers a detour for those not wishing to cross the cattle guard
- I leave Cedar Canyon Road and ride up the 3/4-mile-long shortcut road to Black Canyon Road
- I ride briefly through the sagebrush in Watson Wash, then rise out of the wash after turning onto Cedar Canyon Road
- I come upon a severe wash-out and figure that I must have made a wrong turn; I didn't see this on the way to Howe Spring
- Howe Spring Road dips into several sandy washes as it hugs the west side of Pinto Valley
- This long, straight stretch of Howe Spring Road makes me feel like I'm somewhere other than the Mojave Desert
- New York Mountain Road dips down into Watson Wash at around 4800 feet elevation
- When I reach the old corral at Howe Spring, I realize that it's completely burned
- I retrieve the bike and start riding back down Howe Spring Road
- Riding away from Howe Spring, I find myself thinking that, yes, it would be worth camping here one day
- This looks like some kind of scrub oak growing here at Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Looking east from Howe Spring across Fourth of July Canyon to the New York Mountains
- A firecracker penstemon blooms for the hummingbirds, in the rocks at Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Howe Spring has no running water right now, but the well here (which is perhaps the spring) contains a fair amount
- The Howe Spring water tank is empty
- The Howe Spring area looks a bit like the Eagle Rocks area, but the pinnacles aren't as big or numerous
- Howe Spring wash is dry, but I discover some piping that leads up to a water tank
- I walk up the dry wash toward Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Dense greenery grows around the wash at Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- The road to Howe Spring has deteriorated enough that I know I'm near the end
- The main New York Mountains Road continues to the right
- The road to Howe Spring, Mojave National Preserve, gets narrower
- West New York Mountains Road, heading toward the east end of Pinto Mountain
- Mailboxes along west New York Mountains Road, Mojave National Preserve
- So far, west New York Mountains Road is well packed, but with a layer of sand or gravel on the surface
- From Rock Springs, I walk back down to my bike parked in Watson Wash
- Back on the bike, I return to Cedar Canyon Road and turn right to head north on New York Mountains Road toward Howe Spring
- I ride down into Watson Wash on the short segment of the old Mojave Road near the Bert Smith Rock House
- I park the bicycle where the spur road ends near Rock Springs and go for a walk
- I approach Rock Springs, Mojave National Preserve
- There doesn't seem to be much here at Rock Springs right now but mud, flies, and a lot of animal excrement
- It turns out that a very small pool of water does exist here at Rock Springs after all
- I turn at the short road leading to the historic rock house above Rock Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Mojave National Preserve's Bert Smith Rock House has been meticulously restored
- The Bert Smith Rock House sports deeply recessed windows and an unusual lack of a roof line
- Behind the Bert Smith Rock House is a recently built trail down to Rock Springs, Mojave National Preserve
- I ride about three miles down Cedar Canyon Road toward Watson Wash
- Here's the road that hugs the fence and connects this segment of the old Mojave Road with Cedar Canyon Road
- I see Cedar Canyon Road just down the hill
- I arrive at the junction of Cedar Canyon Road too soon
- This appears to be an old alignment of the Mojave Road, running parallel to Cedar Canyon Road
- And there is a nice secluded campsite up here, again with a juniper tree
- I continue along this stretch of the old Mojave Road, wondering how much further it goes
- This old segment of the Mojave Road abruptly ends when it reaches a fence and turns 90 degrees to the right
- Just off Black Canyon Road on the shortcut road lies a campsite with a juniper tree
- Beyond the campsite, the Black Canyon-Cedar Canyon shortcut road deteriorates
- I ride out of Mid Hills Campground and down Wild Horse Canyon Road into Round Valley
- Windmill near the junction of upper Wild Horse Canyon Road and Black Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
- I ride almost two miles north on Black Canyon Road before turning right on a shortcut road that I've not ridden before
- Morning at Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve, before starting today's ride to Howe Spring
- Wild Horse Mesa hike profile, Mojave National Preserve (Day 5)
- Wild Horse Mesa hike route, Mojave National Preserve (Day 5)
- Black Canyon Road climbs up above the wash while passing through the canyon
- Black Canyon Road flattens out as it crosses Round Valley, Mojave National Preserve
- Another soothing sunset from Mid Hills campground site 22, looking toward the Clark Mountain Range
- On the way up Black Canyon Road, I pass the Gold Valley Ranch
- I ride over a cattle guard on Black Canyon Road
- Black Canyon Road is often straight, but it meanders when passing through Black Canyon
- A cow stands in the middle of Black Canyon Road, not sure what to make of me
- The cow leaves the road to join his family and they all rush off into the sagebrush
- The washboard surface of the south end of Wild Horse Canyon Road makes for a rough ride
- I take a break at the Hole-in-the-Wall visitor centre, which is closed right now
- I get back on Black Canyon Road and start the 10-mile ride up the gentle hill back to Mid Hills campground
- North of Hole-in-the-Wall campground, Black Canyon Road is a gentle uphill that is quite washboarded
- Cows grazing near Wild Horse Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
- I'm back on Wild Horse Canyon Road in the scenic area
- Bluejay Mine Road, Mojave National Preserve
- Bluejay Mine Road snakes around below Wild Horse Mesa
- Manzanita regrowth in the burned area below Wild Horse Mesa, Mojave National Preserve
- Paper-bag bush and verbenas are blooming in the heavily burned area near Bluejay Mine, Mojave National Preserve
- I make it back to Bluejay Mine, retrieve the bike, and start riding the 1.5 miles down to Wild Horse Canyon Road
- A few of the old junipers below Wild Horse Mesa appear to have escaped the ravages of the 2005 fires
- Looking back up to Wild Horse Mesa as I continue back down to Bluejay Mine
- This area directly north of Wild Horse Mesa is steep, but is feasible when hiked across the slope
- I hike down a drainage below Wild Horse Mesa amongst some old unburned junipers
- Descending into Bluejay Mine valley below Wild Horse Mesa
- I walk over rocks and partway back toward Beecher Canyon before turning 180 degrees to get below Wild Horse Mesa
- A bright-red firecracker penstemon is always a welcome sight in this often-beige landscape
- There's my route back down to Bluejay Mine: that row of green junipers below
- Panorama across Wild Horse Mesa looking south from near the summit
- A canyon just west of Wild Horse Mesa looks like a promising route downward
- Wild Horse Mesa summit lies just ahead
- Wild Horse Mesa, Mojave National Preserve; I enjoy the views from the summit at about 5600 feet